NFL Power Rankings: Initial Post-Sunday Breakdown Ahead of Week 10

Thirteen teams have two or three losses at the midway point of the NFL season, which could set up for a wild playoff race down the stretch.

Furthermore, only five teams are three or more games under .500, so a large percentage of the league is still in the playoff hunt.

The Philadelphia Eagles stand alone at the top, however, as they are the only squad with just one loss.

Here's a look at some fresh power rankings, in addition to explanations for six teams' placements.

NFL Power Rankings

1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-1)

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)

3. New Orleans Saints (6-2)

4. Los Angeles Rams (6-2)

5. Minnesota Vikings (6-2)

6. New England Patriots (6-2)

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3)

8. Kansas City Chiefs (6-3)

9. Carolina Panthers (6-3)

10. Dallas Cowboys (5-3)

11. Seattle Seahawks (5-3)

12. Buffalo Bills (5-3)

13. Washington Redskins (4-4)

14. Tennessee Titans (5-3)

15. Green Bay Packers (4-3)

16. Chicago Bears (3-5)

17. Atlanta Falcons (4-4)

18. Los Angeles Chargers (3-5)

19. Detroit Lions (3-4)

20. Oakland Raiders (4-5)

21. New York Jets (4-5)

22. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)

23. Denver Broncos (3-5)

24. Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)

25. Arizona Cardinals (4-4)

26. Miami Dolphins (4-4)

27. Houston Texans (3-5)

28. Indianapolis Colts (3-6)

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6)

30. New York Giants (1-7)

31. San Francisco 49ers (0-9)

32. Cleveland Browns (0-8)

Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 7

The Jags sit ahead of two teams with better records and four with the same win-loss mark, and that's because they just won their last two games by a combined 50-7 score despite missing star running back Leonard Fournette for both contests.

Jacksonville's defense is the best in football, and if it keeps this stretch up, it could make a case for being the best this decade. In five of their eight games, the Jags have held their opponents to nine points or fewer. They also have an eye-popping 33 sacks and 10 interceptions.

The Jags may not have the offensive talent of other teams in their power-ranking neighborhood, but the defense is so dominant that it doesn't matter much. When Fournette is back in the mix next week, the Jags could begin a run for an AFC playoff bye.

Washington Redskins at No. 13

Why place Washington 13th ahead of two teams with winning records and some others with the same 4-4 mark?

Prior to their 17-14 road win over the Seattle Seahawks, the Washington Redskins were ranked as the 14th-most efficient team in football, according to Football Outsiders. Washington was 12th on offense and 13th on defense. That ranking figures to improve after a big road win over the No. 11 team.

Also consider this: If Washington was a college basketball team on the NCAA tournament bubble, and we were looking at its resume to consider March Madness placement, then it would have a good case.

Notably, Washington has those important "signature" wins (road wins against Seattle and the 6-2 Los Angeles Rams), and it has played a tough schedule so far (two losses against the 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles and defeats against the 6-3 Kansas City Chiefs and 5-3 Dallas Cowboys).

It will be interesting to see how Washington fares the rest of the way. Two games against the 1-7 New York Giants loom, but so do contests against the 6-2 Minnesota Vikings, 6-2 New Orleans Saints and the Cowboys.

Chicago Bears at No. 16

The Chicago Bears sit in front of 11 teams with the same or better record than them.

Ultimately, we need to eliminate the first four games of the season when judging the Bears right now, as it was before rookie signal-caller Mitchell Trubisky took over the offensive reins.

Since then, the Bears are 2-2, with those losses by a combined 11 points to two 6-2 teams (the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints).

They are a different team than the first quarter of the year, and Chicago has established a strong run game led by Jordan Howard to support Trubisky. Furthermore, the former University of North Carolina star has impressed with his ability to extend plays thanks to his mobility.

Look for Chicago to at least hang around the playoff picture into December.

Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins at No. 25 and No. 26

Two 4-4 teams sit in the bottom 25 percent of the power rankings, which is odd at first glance. However, a deeper dive reveals the reasons why.

For Arizona, it has enjoyed an easy schedule so far. Two wins against the 0-9 San Francisco 49ers have boosted their record, and their other victories have been versus the 3-6 Indianapolis Colts and 2-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Two of their four wins also came in overtime: If a little luck went the other way, we could be talking about a 2-6 Cards team.

As for the Miami Dolphins, they have a minus-63 point differential.

In their defense, they have a few impressive victories, most notably a 20-17 road win at the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons. That being said, they've been shut out twice and almost suffered that fate a third time if not for a last-second touchdown from wide receiver DeVante Parker against the New York Jets.

Ultimately, it's hard seeing these two teams hanging around the playoff race come December.